New Indian Tax

From 1 July 2017 India will have a new tax.  The Goods and Services Tax (GST) is a country wide tax on all goods and services – similar to VAT (but there are three bands – depending on the cost of the item).  Currently the individual states all set their own taxes – so GST will bring the whole country under one unified system.  Accommodation in hotels, guesthouses, houseboats, homestays etc will be subject to GST and all bookings taken from 1 July will include this tax. 

Kerala Liberalises Liquor Policy

The current Kerala government understood that the previous government’s strict licencing law aimed at reducing the alcohol consumption of the locals was detrimentally affecting the state’s tourist and conference industries and pledged to amend them.

A number of changes have been made including raising the ‘drinking’ age from 21 to 23 and allowing roadside vendors to re-locate and re-employ all the workers that lost their jobs.  From the tourists’ point of view the important changes are that 3 star hotels and above can apply for a licence and licencing hours in tourist centres will be increased to 10am - 11pm. 

These changes are to take place from 1 July 2017 and it is hoped that it will correct the foreign tourists’ perception that Kerala is a ‘dry state’. 

Popular destination for 2017

India welcomed a record number of international visitors in the first quarter of 2017.  2.8 million arrivals in January to March was a 13.7% increase compared to the same quarter last year and a new record.